Chapter Twelve

Marissa's jaw hung loose. Consideringall of the bizarre crap she'd been going through, lately, she probably didn't have any right whatsoever to be doing the fish-out-of-water thing. But…the man standing on an outcropping of cave that jutted over ??ran?'s movie theatre was… Impossible to describe. How could a person put into words someone who was both striking in appearance and blood-icingly terrifying at the same time? Wearing tall black boots, tight black leather pants that barely contained the broad, arching muscles of his legs, and…nothing else, he was like a conglomeration of a cover model for The Homicidal Maniac About Town, a huge mythological creature, and every kid's worst monster-under-the bed.

His nipples were pierced with thick steel rings, his navel the same, and a bulky metal chain swung from one ring to the other, then down to his belly, forming a T. Cuts, scrapes, and bruises were spread across the vast landscape of his body, blending with the scars of previous fights: the trophies of a very hard life, and evidence of this man's ability to take as good as he gave. Jeez, it sucked to be a warrior in this town.

His features were strong-boned, with a wide jaw and broad brow, and his eyes were that same ruthless black as the not-so-nice men she'd been running into recently…with the exception of Jacken, perhaps, but the jury was still out on him. A lion's mane of brilliant red hair flowed all the way down to the man's butt, and if that wasn't arresting enough, then his body was a fricking showstopper. Overwhelmingly powerful, granite-like with muscles, big, frightening, brutal…it was a body designed to kill. He looked like he could break bones in his sleep. And although it was difficult to tell for certain from where she stood on Berlin's bedroom balcony, with Beth wringing her hands at Marissa's side, Homicidal Maniac appeared to be over seven feet tall.

One of the scariest things about the man was that he currently had his fist wrapped around the throat of a guy with white-blond hair, who had his own hand locked around the maniac's wrist, hanging on for—quite literally—dear life. His legs cycled the empty air as Homicidal Manic dangled him over the jut of cave.

Two other flame-haired men, black-eyed and revoltingly dirty, stood just behind Homicidal Maniac, laughing at the blond man's struggles.

On the ground below, Jacken was glaring up at the maniac. He'd removed his blazer in favor of a bandolier belt of knives, which actually suited him better. He was flanked by Arc and Dev, whose eyes had lost all evidence of mischievousness.

"Let my man go," Jacken barked the order at Homicidal Maniac, his black brows arrowing into a fierce vee.

A huge dark-haired man appeared behind Homicidal Maniac, and Marissa gasped. The newcomer had the same black interlocking teeth tattoos as the neo-Nazis: on his forearms and circling his thick neck.

Homicidal Maniac's eyes flickered sideways in acknowledgement of the new arrival. The man hanging from his fist made louder choking noises.

The huge neo-Nazi with the neck tattoos stopped moving.

"You agree to talk, Brun," Homicidal Maniac warned Jacken. "Or when you take me out, I break this cowfuck's neck on the way."

"Let my man go, Josnic," Jacken repeated in a grating tone. "Then we talk."

Shrugging the massive bulk of his shoulders, Homicidal Josnic dumped the blond man onto the cave ledge, then planted a large boot on top of him. His black eyes drilled into Jacken. "One woman." He held up a single finger, the simple gesture somehow like the worst threat. "That's all we received out of the four due to us because you took the rest."

The blond man jerked under Josnic's boot, coughing and wheezing. Then stopped moving altogether.

A buzz of concerned murmuring rose from the people crowded onto the other balconies.

Marissa's fingers flexed, searching blindly for something to hold onto as an icy shroud of fear fell over her. Another Cosmopolitan? A friend's hand? A freaking teddy bear, maybe, to help get her through yet another night of terror?

"Eight new pieces of kooch you've brought in," Josnic went on, "and we haven't made a single move." He shook his head slowly, the simple movement again screaming menace. "No more. You made a fatal error by stealing from us topside, Brun."

"Oh, crap." Toni hissed from where she stood on the other side of Beth.

"Return the three you took," Josnic ordered in the authoritative tone of a man who was used to being obeyed, "and they'd better still be unmarked. You have five minutes. I'll wait at the Outer Edge."

One of the red-haired men just behind Josnic waggled his fingers in a wave at Marissa. "Hello, pretty one. You'll be mine soon."

She flared her eyes wide, her heart slamming into her throat. It was Tollar from last night, the grotesque man who'd been on the verge of hauling her off to some unspeakable future just as she'd been saved. Did…did he work for the institute's research competitors? And why were four women owed to this Josnic?

Jacken's expression was murderous. "No."

Josnic laughed, the sound rusty metal going down a garbage disposal. "Wrong answer." He ground his boot into the blond man, rousing a groan from him. "If I don't get my women back, then…" He raked his black stare to one of the adjacent balconies and stabbed a finger at Hannah, the town librarian. "Her."

With a frown, Hannah's husband, Willen, pulled his wife against his side.

"And her." Josnic pointed at Beth, then flashed his teeth. "The two become my toys."

Beth's hands flew to her breast, the blood draining from her face.

"Yes, you'll suffer," Josnic's voice sliced at Beth, "and that child inside you, too."

Beth cried out.

Down on the ground, Dev did the strangest thing; he leapt at Arc and pulled the man back hard against his chest, clamping a hand over Arc's mouth. A growl the likes of which Marissa had only ever heard on Animal Planet rumbled out of Beth's husband.

Marissa stood riveted, unable to look away from the wildness on the faces of both men, an odd sensation shivering through her. How…could a man possibly make a noise like that?

"The ‘no' stands." Jacken's voice was hard and uncompromising. "Either fight or get the fuck out of my town."

"Not now." Josnic took a step back, his nipple chains rattling. "But you have too many women to guard this time, Brun. A hole will appear in your defenses, and when it does…" His eyes froze down to stygian ice, no longer merely mean, but evil. "We take back what's ours, and leave boiling Hell in our wake."

Marissa went numb. She believed that man. Given the smallest chance, Josnic would snatch her and Hadley. Not Kendra, who'd already bagged this crazy town, smart lady.

Turning around, Marissa stumbled off the balcony and into the bedroom, barely noticing people from the other rooms surging into Berlin. To be fair, Toni had warned the new hires about ??ran?'s rival neighbors. But Marissa had imagined the town's competitors as being a bunch of sallow-faced scientists with Coke-bottle glasses, maybe a few with lisps, who didn't have anything more ominous on their minds than stealing research secrets. Not something that looked like it'd been disgorged from Stephen King's Pet Sematary.

She twisted her hands at her waist as her blood slowed in her veins. Good God, what kind of idiot was she to have put her life into the hands of people she'd known for all of two days? If this Josnic creature managed to nab Beth as he'd threatened would Marissa be traded for Arc's beloved, and pregnant, wife?

In a New York minute.

Marissa searched for Hadley, finding her friend standing near the bed. Their eyes met, identical thoughts stamped on their pale faces; half a million dollars didn't begin to make up for this.

Jacken stalked back into the bedroom, followed by Dev and Arc, and stopped with his arms crossed and his legs planted wide. "You need to listen to me," he said to the new hires, "very carefully. No woman who's followed our security measures has ever been hurt in ??ran?. Not one. We can and will protect you. I don't care if you've been here two days or two years, there isn't a man in the Warrior Class who wouldn't give his life for you."

Her stomach in knots, Marissa eyed Dev sideways.

His lids were low, as if shielding powerful emotions, and he stood with his arms crossed, too, the position bulging out his biceps and making him look as kick-ass as any superhero. Her Bat Man.

"Moreover," Jacken went on, "it may not feel like it right now, but you're safer here, with us looking out for you, than topside. If you don't believe me, ask the women who were just kidnapped last night."

Marissa glanced at Hadley.

"If these men find out who you are, they'll take you." Jacken panned the room. "I can guarantee it."

Maybe…Jacken had a point. And, frankly, right now Marissa couldn't imagine feeling safe anywhere far from Dev.

Jacken swiveled toward his men. "Head back out. I want to confirm the town is secure."

As the warriors jogged from the room, Toni put her arms around Beth.

Beth slumped against her friend, her face pressed into Toni's shoulder, one hand cupped protectively over the swelling of her abdomen.

Marissa stood in place, unsure of what to do. The other men in the bedroom murmured to their wives. Beth cried softly. Hadley had her head pressed together with Beverly and Susan. Finally, Marissa walked over to Toni and Beth and wrapped her arms around the two women, laying her cheek on top of Beth's head. The woman's hair smelled like strawberries.

You're safer down here, with us looking out for you… She needed to believe that. After all, the community's security force was out in the town right now, making sure… Marissa blinked. All of the force? Good God, that's right. Thomal had run out of the garden parlor with the rest of the warriors, leaving his crutches scattered on the floor.

His foot had seemed completely healed.